GEORGIA-PACIFIC: SUSTAINABILITY AND PURPOSE

This post is sponsored by Georgia-Pacific; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

During these times many have found themselves bulk buying out of fear. But what many fail to realize is that you don’t need to do that! Brands like Georgia-Pacific have been working tirelessly since February to restock the shelves and provide these essential products for our homes. Did you know that Georgia-Pacific is the country’s number one supplier of toilet paper? GP manufactures many different brand names like Angel Soft®, Quilted Northern®, Brawny®, Vanity Fair®, and more.

About Georgia-Pacific

Georgia-Pacific believes in finding ways to add value through sustainability for their customers, communities, and society. They have been making everyday essential household products that help improve people’s lives for almost a century. Founded in 1927 as a wholesaler of lumber, GP has grown to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of paper products.

Georgia-Pacific in Texas

GP operates in nearly 200 facilities (mostly in the U.S) and employs more than 30,000 people directly, creating approximately 89,700 jobs indirectly. There are actually 12 facilities right here in Texas! That’s 2,230 people directly employed by GP and 4,720 additional jobs indirectly created.

Progress with Purpose

There is more forest land in the United States today than there was 100 years ago. This is partly due to the sustainability programs like the ones Georgia-Pacific participates in.

Many people are surprised to learn that the demand for paper and wood products also drives sustainability. You see, when you buy paper products you are creating a demand for trees. Which means landowners want to plant more trees as an investment. Protecting the land in a sustainable manner also makes good economic sense for GP, landowners, and all the jobs that depend on this industry. Most importantly, operating in a sustainable manner is the right thing to do.

GP creates and contributes highly valued products to society. And if you find yourself asking how? Life-cycle thinking drives their process. GP has a 1:1 philosophy – for every tree they use, at least one more is re-planted in its place. Overall they focus on the best materials, minimizing the impact of their products in use, and building in end-of-life options including recycling and composting where valuable. As a result, they are able to offer everyone choices they can feel good about.

Being Sustainable at Home

As a leader in the production of so many essential paper goods, GP takes pride in the ways they work to continuously reduce their impact on the environment while providing the beloved products we use in our day to day lives. Every year across America we create 170 million tons of waste that ends up in landfills. As a mom of three, I am always working hard to find ways to minimize our waste. Most of our waste comes from our food consumption, and ways we minimize that is by doing meal prep, saving leftovers, and buying only what we need ahead of time. It does take time and planning, but we know food waste is one of the biggest environmental issues and I know my efforts are helping a greater cause.

We also encourage our kids to recycle at home by finding new ways to reuse bottles, packaging, and plastic. Recycling helps the environment and creates new economic opportunities. It keeps useful materials out of landfills and helps businesses like GP to develop and create more jobs. Georgia-Pacific uses Juno® Technology that turns unrecyclable products into reclaimed products. It gets rid of food contamination and recovers plastics, aluminum, and metals to be recycled. Not only that but GP Recycling, a Georgia-Pacific company, is one of the world’s largest buyers and sellers of recycled fiber and supplies GP facilities as well as sells to other recycled fiber users.

As one GP employee says, “Sometimes individual efforts have the most significant impact. The better we understand the outcome of our own actions, the better we will be about making informed sustainability decisions in the future.” This is why I am so proud to be able to support brands like GP that provide household essentials in a more sustainable and responsible way.